Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Norman Harold Friend
Retired teacher
Norman Harold Friend, a 37-year Woodside resident, died at Stanford hospital January 14 following a long illness. He was 79.
Mr. Friend was born in Brooklyn and was a member of the Canadian Air Force during World War II. He attended William and Mary University in Virginia, George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Stanford University.
He had a 35-year career as a teacher, leading classes in the humanities and world history at Napa High School, Capuchino High School and Skyline College. He led history field trips to Europe, and he was an excellent photographer who enjoyed making videos, his family said.
Mr. Friend is survived by Natalie, his wife of 54 years; his uncle Dr. Arthur Friend of Brooklyn; and his cousin Richard Leaf of Berkeley.
A memorial service was held at the Neptune Society Mission Chapel in Belmont.
Paul Hurd
Science educator
Stanford University education Professor Emeritus Paul De Hart Hurd died of pneumonia in Menlo Park December 23. He was 95.
"He was one of the top science educators in the country," said Stanford education Professor Decker Walker, a former student. "He wanted science to be a universal possession of all Americans."
Professor Hurd was born in Denver, Colorado, and earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Northern Colorado. In 1949 he earned a doctorate in education from Stanford University, joining the faculty in 1951, after 22 years teaching high school biology and science in Greeley, Colorado, and at Menlo School and Menlo College.
Dr. Hurd retired in 1971 but remained active in science education reform into the 1990s. He wrote many books on curriculum development, including in 1961, "Biological Education in American Secondary Schools."
He published more than 300 articles in the United States and abroad. His papers are archived in the Hoover Institution. His final professional paper, "Modernizing Science Education," will be published in the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching.
Dr. Hurd remained professionally active into his 90s. From 1988 to 1990 he was a special education consultant to the National Academy of Sciences, Commission on Life Sciences. NASA honored him with the Apollo Award in 1970. The National Science Teachers Association gave him the Award for National Leadership in Science Education in 1979.
"His advice was sought by policy makers on a national level," said Professor Walker.
Mr. Hurd is survived by his widow, Elizabeth Hurd of Menlo Park. No memorial service will be held.
Nancy Prior
Longtime Realtor
A memorial service for local realtor Nancy Prior is planned for noon on Friday, February 1, at the Church of the Nativity, located at 210 Oak Grove Ave. in Menlo Park. A reception at the Coldwell Banker office at 930 Santa Cruz Ave. in Menlo Park will follow.
Ms. Prior died January 20 of a massive heart attack, at the age of 70.
She retired from Coldwell Banker in Menlo Park a year and a half ago, after more than 40 years in the real estate business. She moved from Menlo Park to Chico after she retired, in order to be closer to her children and grandchildren, according to her former colleague David McKeever.
"All the agents admired and loved Nancy," Mr. McKeever said. "She was a real local legend."
A funeral for Ms. Prior was held in Chico. The local memorial service is being organized by her former colleagues and her daughter, Mitzi Prior Kerr.
Angelo Atilano
Retired Court House custodian
Angelo F. Atilano of Menlo Park, who served in the First Filipino Regiment in World War II, died March 22 at Stanford Medical Center. He was 91 and had resided in Menlo Park since 1932.
A native of the Philippines, Mr. Atilano came to the United States in 1927. He joined his father and two brothers as domestic staff for an Atherton family, where they served as groundskeeper, chauffeur and cook, and took care of the children.
Although in his late teens, Mr. Atilano attended Las Lomitas School to complete his eighth-grade education.
Mr. Atilano was inducted into the U.S. Army in 1942. As a private first class, he saw battle in New Guinea and the Southern Philippine Islands during World War II. He was decorated with the Asian Pacific Campaign Medal and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with Bronze Star.
After receiving an honorable discharge from the Army, he joined the Army Transportation Corp's Civilian Marine Service for two years. He was stationed at Fort Mason and made many voyages overseas.
Mr. Atilano marriage Celerina Legaspi Geronimo in Manila in 1950. He worked for San Mateo County as a custodian for more than 24 years, retiring in 1975.
In retirement he enjoyed family fishing trips to Half Moon Bay, working in his garden, and cooking for family gatherings, according to his son, Ron Atilano. "His proudest possessions were his 1958 Dodge and later his 1965 Bel Air station wagon," he says.
Mr. Atilano is survived by his children: Patricia Szto of Fountain Valley, Linda G. Atilano and Ron P. Atilano, both of Menlo Park; and two grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was held at St. Raymond Catholic Church with Interment at Alta Mesa Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to a favorite charity. Arrangements were under the direction of Redwood Chapel, Redwood City.
Suzanne Gillis Hamm housing activist, dies
Suzanne Gillis Hamm, the driving force behind the creation of affordable senior housing at Crane Place in Menlo Park and an active member of Peninsula Volunteers, died March 28 at Stanford Hospital. She was 83.
In 1979, Ms. Hamm arranged $4.5 million in funding to build Crane Place, a 93-apartment complex for middle- and low-income seniors located close to downtown Menlo Park. In recognition of her work on behalf of seniors, she was once a guest of Charles Kuralt on his Sunday Morning program.
Ms. Hamm, known to her friends as Suzie, grew up in Denver and graduated from college with a degree in economics. She was a member of the university honors society Phi Beta Kappa, relatives said.
In 1941, she marriage gold miner John Hamm and spent 10 years in a high-altitude mining camp environment. The master mechanic of the camp, in an apparent reference to Ms. Hamm's collegiate achievements, lauded her democratic sensibilities by pronouncing her "just as common as anyone."
While in Colorado, relatives said Ms. Hamm sang unaccompanied at church and performed and organized productions at the historic and still-standing Tabor Opera House in Leadville, the same venue in which Houdini, Susan B. Anthony, Oscar Wilde, Jack Dempsey and John Phillip Sousa appeared.
The family moved to Palo Alto in 1951, when Ms. Hamm began a long involvement with the local community, relatives said. She worked for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, the Stanford University Development Office, and was project manager of the garden court renovation at Little House, relatives said.
She was a member of the Peninsula Volunteers for 20 years and received the Beth Kechler award for dedicated service in 1993.
Ms. Hamm was also a member of P.E.O., a women-only secret society. She was also actively involved with the Allied Arts Guild, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Auxiliary and the Garden Club of Palo Alto, relatives said.
Ms. Hamm is survived by her husband of 60 years; her sister Judith Gillis Godfrey of Mesa, Arizona; her sons John of Westerly, Rhode Island, and Jeremy of Oakland; her daughter Suzanne C. Peterson of Los Alamos; and four grandchildren.
Contributions in Ms. Hamm's memory may be made to the Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. at 800 Middle Avenue, Menlo Park.
Peter 'Pete' Meininger
Community leader
Services will be held Friday, April 12, at Grace Lutheran Church in Palo Alto for Peter Joseph Paul "Pete" Meininger of Woodside, who died at home March 30 after a brief illness. He was 74.
Born in St. Charles, Missouri, Mr. Meininger served in the Merchant Marine during World War II. He was a house painter for almost 50 years.
His enthusiasm, hard work, and great, good nature contributed to his neighborhood becoming a real community, said his wife Joan. Mr. Meininger spearheaded an effort to form the Citizens' Emergency Response Program for Woodside and surrounding cities. He was also instrumental in the Emerald Hills region of Woodside being included in the Woodside Elementary School District.
He participated in the Woodside Trail Club, and was an active member of Grace Lutheran Church.
Mr. Meininger loved reading, horseback riding, fishing, hunting, his computer, traveling, and woodworking while his opera music played, said his wife.
He is survived by his wife Joan, his daughter Mary, his sons Danny and Larry, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 4 p.m. Friday, April 12, at Grace Lutheran Church, 3149 Waverley St., Palo Alto. The family prefers donations to the American Cancer Society or the American Diabetes Association in lieu of flowers.
Martha Robbins Macdonald
Community volunteer
Friends of Martha Robbins Macdonald are invited to join her family in a celebration of her life at noon April 9 at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Palo Alto. Mrs. Macdonald of Atherton, an active volunteer and the recipient of the Peninsula Volunteers Honorary Life Member award, died March 20 at home. She was 80.
Born in San Francisco, Mrs. Macdonald was a third-generation Californian and lived in Palo Alto for 34 years. She had resided in Atherton since 1960.
Mrs. Macdonald graduated from Castilleja School in 1939 and earned a degree in political science from the University of California at Berkeley in 1942. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.
Throughout her life, Mrs. Macdonald was an active volunteer, family members said. For 47 years, she was a member of Peninsula Volunteers, where she was instrumental in a drive to build the Peninsula Volunteers Partridge Kennedy Apartments, a 30-unit, low-income complex for seniors in Menlo Park. She was chairman of the resale Turnabout Shop in Palo Alto for two years, chairman of an annual fundraiser in 1960, and president of Peninsula Volunteers in 1962.
Mrs. Macdonald spent many years as a parent volunteer at Herbert Hoover, Castilleja and Menlo schools. She was a member of the Palo Alto Auxiliary to Children's Hospital at Stanford, the Francisca Club of San Francisco, the Menlo Circus Club, and the Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club. She served as chairman of the Pan Hellenic Committee.
Above all, say family members, Mrs. Macdonald will be remembered for her love of flowers; her floral arrangements were admired and enjoyed by family and friends at many occasions.
Her first husband, Bethune M. Ireland, died in 1968. She is survived by her husband of 32 years, Palmer Charles Macdonald of Atherton; her son, Robert Ireland of Kentfield; her daughter, Patricia Fuller of Los Altos Hills; her stepson, Tom Macdonald of Wilsonville, Oregon; and three granddaughters.
The celebration of Mrs. Macdonald's life on April 9 will be at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto. Gifts in Mrs. Macdonald's memory may be made to Peninsula Volunteers, 800 Middle Ave., Menlo Park CA 94025.
Private services have been held. Arrangements were under the direction of Roller Hapgood & Tinney, Palo Alto.
Ila Lee Palmer
Retired teacher, life-long learner
Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 14, for Ila Lee Palmer (born Shook), a resident of Atherton since 1952, who died at home on April 1.
The services will be at Roller Hapgood & Tinney mortuary, 980 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto, followed by a reception at Mrs. Palmer's residence.
Born in Indiana, Mrs. Palmer moved to California with her family when she was 3.
She attended Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley, and earned bachelor's and master's degrees. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority.
Mrs. Palmer was a member of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, AAUW, P.E.O. Sisterhood, Order of the Eastern Star, and the Cosmopolitan Club.
A teacher, mother, wife, friend and life-long learner, according to her daughter Sharon Gies, she was much loved and will be much missed.
Mrs. Palmer was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Kenneth William Palmer, and by her daughter, Kendra Lee Hayes. In addition to her daughter Sharon Gies of Los Gatos, she is survived by four grandchildren.
Gifts in her memory may be sent to Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park CA 94025.
Melvyn Stanley Berger
Lawyer, businessman
Melvyn Stanley Berger, a lawyer and businessman and a resident of Woodside for 10 years, died April 3 in Fresno. He was 61.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he moved to California in 1964. He and his wife settled in Merced in 1991, where he opened and developed a law practice. He was active in local charitable organizations, including the Kiwanis Club and Congregation Etz Chaim. Mr. Berger previously spent 20 years in the Bay Area as a businessman and lawyer. He is survived by his wife Judith; his children, Richard, David and Ashley; two grandchildren, Lauren and Evan; and his sister, Phyllis Morgenstern.
A memorial will be held in his honor at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 14, in San Jose.
Alice Genevieve Rapley
Menlo Park native
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 10, at St. Nicholas Catholic Church, 473 Lincoln Ave., in Los Altos, for Alice Genevieve Rapley, who was born in Menlo Park 92 years ago. Ms. Rapley died in Cupertino on April 3.
Raised in Menlo Park, Ms. Rapley taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Half Moon Bay before World War II, according to her niece and goddaughter, Alice Wichman. She enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943, and was an air traffic controller in Corpus Christi, Texas.
After her military service, she taught elementary school in Los Altos until leaving for Germany in the early 1950s to teach in a school for U.S. military dependents.
When she returned to the United States after two years in Germany, she taught fourth- and fifth-graders in Los Altos until retiring in 1968, her niece said.
Ms. Rapley is survived by a brother, James Rapley of Woodside; a sister, Pauline Murphy of Los Altos; and several nieces and nephews.
A 7 p.m. vigil is scheduled for April 9 at the Los Altos Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries, 399 S. San Antonio Road. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery in Menlo Park following the April 10 funeral Mass.
The family prefers that memorial contributions be made to the charity of the donor's choice.
Lyle Post
Menlo Presbyterian deacon, trustee
Lyle Post, a deacon and trustee of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, died at his Menlo Park home April 11. He was 88.
Mr. Post was born in Gunnison, Colorado, and was an active member of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church for 54 years. He was a lead mechanic for United Airlines, and was an avid fisherman who enjoyed trailering with the AirStream Group. He instilled his love of the outdoors in his children and grandchildren, family members said.
Mr. Post suffered from Parkinson's disease, which left him bedridden for many years, his family said, and Elma, his wife of 63 years, cared for him at home.
Besides his wife, Mr. Post is survived by his son Dave Post of Folsom; his daughter Bobbie Jean Gilchrist of San Jose; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
The graveside service was private. A memorial service will be held at a future date, when Mrs. Post is home from the hospital and feeling better, family members said.
Memorial contributions may be made to Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025; or to the American Parkinson's Disease Association, Inc., 1250 Hylan Boulevard, Suite 4B, Staten Island, New York 10305-1946.
Arrangements were under the direction of Roller Hapgood & Tinney of Palo Alto.
Catherine A. Tietjen
Activist in church
A memorial Mass for Catherine A. Tietjen, a resident of Menlo Park for 46 years, will be held at 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 19, at St. Raymond Catholic Church at 1100 Santa Cruz Ave. Ms. Tietjen died April 5 in San Mateo. She was 94.
Ms. Tietjen was a registered nurse when she marriage Wells R. Tietjen. She was "a very generous member" of St. Raymond Church, relatives said.
Ms. Tietjen is survived by several cousins, including Nancy Dunlap of Pueblo, Colorado, and John Hughs of Bellaire, Ohio.
Donations in Ms. Tietjen's memory may be made to St. Raymond Catholic Church. Arrangements were by O'Connor Menlo Colonial Chapel.
Mary Coffman
Life Master bridge player
Services will be held April 16 for Mary R. Coffman, a resident of Atherton for 48 years who died April 12 at her home. She was 91.
The services will start at noon at Skylawn Memorial Park at Skyline Blvd. and Half Moon Bay Road in San Mateo.
Born in China Springs, Texas, Mrs. Coffman attended Baylor University. She was a Life Master bridge player, family members said.
Mrs. Coffman was marriage for 59 years to James Coffman II, who died in 1996. She is survived by her son, Jim Coffman of Newport Beach; and one grandson.
Arrangements were under the direction of Menlo Colonial Chapel, Menlo Park.
